Davian studied the Omega nervously thumbing through the menu. He never noticed any of the staff working at the mansion.
And if it weren’t for the fact that Rob was well known, he wouldn’t have had anything to go off on.
Lake... it was. He looked nothing like his father.
Davian couldn’t remember now who his mother was, Rob could never keep a woman.
He looked no worse for the wear, which was a relief. He was worried that in his haze, he had hurt the Omega.
Well... more than he already did.
He would prefer to just get the discussion over with and close this embarrassing Chapter.
But Lake deserved a little effort, it was just dinner, and he could do that little.
The soothing mix of honey and citrus slowly spread through the room after the Omega sat down.
It was like drinking down a mug of lemon tea with honey, it made him think about sleep.
Fortunately for him, his accident with his rut had happened to a house staff who looked more frightened than anything else.
He knew well how quickly it would have gone south if it was one of the many women trying to snag him as a mate.
Davian knew he was the only Mafia King who had to deal with that, and he wasn’t boasting.
He would like nothing more than for them all to leave him well alone, but for some reason, being uninterested in intimacy seemed to translate to perfect mate material for these women.
Davian liked the silence they sat in as they waited for their meal, it was rare for him to sit at dinner with someone else and not have his ear talked off.
With little else to occupy himself, he resumed studying the Omega across from him.
Lake didn’t appreciate this, however, trembling under his gaze so he was forced to look away.
Now the silence started to get a little tense; he had been the only one enjoying the quiet but now he was forced to face how uncomfortable that would be for the Omega seated across from him.
The waiter showed up with their meal then, sparing Davian the need to break the silence.
When Master Davian had invited him to eat dinner, Lake had hoped that it meant he was going to end up alive after their discussion.
But when all the Alpha did was stare at him with empty gray eyes, he was starting to rethink that.
Their food being served didn’t ease him, and he knew that if he tried to eat, his tensed-up stomach would immediately try to reject it.
Lake decided to break the silence then, if Master Davian wouldn’t do it, he would.
If he sat in the suffocating private room for ten minutes more, his heart would actually stop from the stress.
"I-I’m really sorry about last night, Master Davian." He forced the words out.
Lake wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for...
If it was for being in the master wing when he shouldn’t be, for running off, or for stealing.
Davian had just been about to dig into his food when Lake spoke, he paused. "For what?"
Lake was so stunned he clammed up, because the Master had asked that like a genuine question.
Davian dropped his utensils, they couldn’t have dinner with this discussion hovering over the table like a noxious cloud.
"I should be apologizing," He grimaced, unwanted memories from the night before plaguing him. "I asked to see you to do that."
"Oh," Lake said quietly - how nice.
Now he felt doubly bad for doing all of that stealing.
"You will be let go from working at the mansion, however," Davian added, his resolve nearly cracking at the broken look in Lake’s eyes.
"Oh," The Omega repeated one more time, the single syllable somber.
"You don’t have to worry about the rest of your debt, I’ll deal with it." He rushed to say, guilt an unfamiliar feeling in his middle.
"You’re free to do whatever you want," Davian kept speaking, floundering for the right thing to say.
It was odd to be affected by a stranger’s sadness but he owed Lake so that might be it.
Lake’s smile was bittersweet, there was little else he could do.
It probably wasn’t a self-sufficient plan, but after completely paying off his father’s debt, he planned to start saving.
Sure that would mean working for the next two or three decades but at least, he wouldn’t have to work when he was older.
"Thank you, Master Davian," He rose to his feet - there was no reason to remain for the rest of dinner.
"Can I return to the mansion one last time to take the rest of my effects?"
Davian’s food was long forgotten in front of him, this was supposed to be a clean cut.
He would explain the details of their agreement to the maid and put the matter behind him.
But with Lake right in front of him, it was difficult to keep seeing him as a faceless house staff.
The Omega’s scent didn’t show his mood change but Davian felt like he could taste his sadness nonetheless.
"Sure." He agreed absently, unable to say a word as Lake bowed slightly and slipped out of the room.
The conversation really couldn’t have gone any better, but why was he so unsatisfied?
He didn’t have to fire Lake but he just wanted to make things easier on the both of them.
So why did he now come to regret that decision?
Davian sat and scowled at the expensive and uneaten dishes on the table in front of him.
If he was already feeling this way after spending only a single haze-filled night with the Omega, then maybe getting rid of him was for the best.
He reached for his utensils again and tried to eat; he should have dinner and book an appointment with the family doctor first thing the next morning.
If he occupied himself with other things, he would forget the maid existed before the middle of the new week.